DelValle's younger brother Michael is Newburgh-bound

Newburgh Boxing Club trainer Ray Rivera gushed over the latest fighter coming into his corner, kid named DelValle.

KEVIN GLEASON

Newburgh Boxing Club trainer Ray Rivera gushed over the latest fighter coming into his corner, kid named DelValle.

Only Rivera wasn't referring to once-beaten pro Luis Orlando DelValle, whom he trained for almost nine years before they parted company recently.

Rivera was talking excitedly about Michael DelValle, Luis' brother.

Michael DelValle, 21, a top amateur, is expected to arrive in Newburgh sometime soon, perhaps as early as next week. Rivera thinks Michael, like Luis a featherweight, is close to turning pro.

"He's better than Orlando,'' Rivera said.

If that sounds like hyperbole, Michael's own brother supports the claim.

"He has better skills than me,'' Luis DelValle said. "When we would fight, everyone used to say the same thing — 'You are good, you are nice. But your brother is going to be better.'"

That's high praise considering Luis DelValle is 16-1 with 11 knockouts as a pro. Rivera lists Michael's amateur record as 75-12, not quite the 112-14 that Luis fashioned before turning pro, but impressive nonetheless. Luis said Michael took off three years from boxing after becoming involved in the church.

"It kind of stopped his development,'' Luis said. "Last year he came back and made it to the finals of the Puerto Rican national championships. If he never stopped, he would have went to the Olympics and probably medaled. All he needs is to work with Ray a little bit. Hopefully this summer, he will be ready to turn pro.''

"He's a boxer-puncher,'' Rivera said. "He has good head movement, good defense. He's light on his feet. The kid has boxing skills.''